


Hold the Door

by VengeanceAngel



Series: Attempted Drabbles [6]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Nice Billy Hargrove, Panic Attacks, Steve Harrington Has Bad Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:22:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22280092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VengeanceAngel/pseuds/VengeanceAngel
Summary: Billy and Steve get stuck in an elevator together and each find out something about the other.Also, I think it's time to admit that I'm incapable of writing drabbles.....
Relationships: Billy Hargrove & Steve Harrington
Series: Attempted Drabbles [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1601539
Comments: 4
Kudos: 109





	Hold the Door

As soon as Steve hears the shout, he grabs the edge of the closing elevator door and holds it open. He regrets that decision as soon as Billy Hargrove ducks into the small space. 

Billy grins and licks at his teeth in a lewd display. “Thanks for the ride, Pretty Boy.”

Steve huffs out a sigh and crosses his arms. He leans against the back wall of the elevator and motions to Billy. “Well?...” 

Billy frowns. “Well _what?_ ”

Steve gestures to the buttons on the elevator. 

Billy stares at him. “Use your words.”

Steve glares back. “Push the button for your floor and mine so we aren’t forced to be around each other any longer than we have to. I’m going to the eighth.”

Billy rolls his eyes and hits the appropriate floor. “Yeah, me, too.” He leans against the side of the elevator, looking at the numbers lighting up above the door. He takes a breath just as the light at floor seven goes out. He looks expectantly at the eight, but nothing happens. There’s a grinding sound followed by a loud whine. And then everything stops. 

Billy groans in displeasure. “Looks like we’re gonna be stuck here for awhile.” He lifts the phone and listens for a moment before shaking his head. “Great, phone isn’t working… looks like we wait here until someone realizes the elevator isn’t running.” He puts the phone back and then turns toward Steve. He stops in shock. 

Steve is backed up against the wall, his eyes darting around the small space. He’s breathing quickly, too quickly and tears have sprung to his eyes. 

Billy studies him, not comfortable at all with a silent Steve Harrington. “Harrington? Hey, uh… what’s going on? You claustrophobic?”

He nods, but doesn’t speak.

“I guess someone with a mansion for a home _would_ have issues in spaces made for us peasants.”

Steve whimpers then and slides down to the floor, bringing his knees up to his chest. He glances around at the walls, pressing himself into the corner. 

Billy rolls his eyes. “Seriously? It’s just an elevator.” Steve rocks back and forth gently, trying to calm his breathing down as Billy tries the phone once more. He finally gives up and looks down at Steve again. “Look… what has you so scared anyway?”

Steve shakes his head. “It’s not… I mean… you don’t care. I know it’s not real. I know….” He seems to be struggling to speak correctly.

Billy sits down next to Steve. “I’ve got nothing better to do.”

“It’s just… it’s stupid. I know that every kid goes through it. I’m just… weak.”

Billy nods. “I mean yeah, that much is true.” When he doesn’t get a response, he prods a bit. “What is it that every kid goes through?”

“You know… punishment.”

Billy frowns. “You get hit?”

Steve shakes his head and looks at Billy like he’s crazy. “My parents would never hit me. That’s… that’s fucked up.”

Billy shrugs a shoulder. “Yeah… it is.”

“ _You_ get hit?”

Billy shrugs again. “Not anymore. But we’re talking about you. So you don’t get hit so….” He smiles. “Oh… you had to go to your room? God, you’re such a fucking trust fund baby….”

Steve shakes his head. “No…. not my room. There was… I mean we have a basement. And… when there were… were parties… or if I was bad or… or if I was too loud when dad was on the phone or… or if mom was annoyed about something I did… I’d go down there. And they’d put me… you know… the time out room.”

Billy is completely confused. “Time out room?”

Steve nods. “The room… in basements… for kids. I think it used to have a water heater in it. It… smells like mildew and… and they’d put me there. Lock me in. It’s small so I would stand there and… and wait… and sometimes… sometimes they forgot.” He chokes back a sob. “And I know it’s so much nicer than that here, but being stuck… like this… it’s like the walls are closing in and.. and I’m there and… I was bad and… I can’t… I can’t be back there.” His breathing gets shallower and faster. “I didn’t do anything _wrong_ … I mean… sometimes I never knew what I did wrong, but this time… I held the door open for you. I was nice… I was polite… I was _quiet!_ ” His hands go to his hair and start to pull as his rocking becomes more frantic.

Billy is stunned as he hears Steve talk about his childhood and the punishment that he seems to think is what all kids go through. He doesn’t have the heart to tell him that his parents are fucking monsters right now. He’s got enough to deal with. 

“Okay, so… this is a bit small for you, right? Maybe um… Maybe don’t do this….” He reaches out and gently pulls Steve’s hands out of his hair. Against his better judgment, he reaches out and pulls Steve to him. “Hey… okay, look… you were in there alone, right?”

Steve nods. “Yeah… always…”

“Okay, well I’m here so you’re not alone. It’s not like that, this time. I’m right here with you.” He holds him tighter. “See? You’re not alone. Breathe with me, okay? I know you can feel my chest rising and falling. Follow that rhythm.”

“Don’t… don’t tell anyone that I’m scared. It’s… it’s weak and… and I have to be good…” 

Billy sees Steve’s eyes glance from place to place and quickly realizes that Steve still isn’t seeing the elevator anymore. “Hey… hey, stay with me. Nothing is going to hurt you here.”

The lights go out as if the universe is trying to give Billy a big ‘fuck you.’

Steve shudders and starts whispering something. Billy strains to hear and then realizes it’s the lyrics to a lullaby. 

“Hey, what is that you’re saying?”

“A… a song that Charlotte sang to me.”

“Charlotte?”

Steve shrugs, the motion being easy to determine as Billy holds him. “Nanny.”

Billy debates it, but finally gives in. “Yeah… I thought so… I know that song.”

“She… she wanted me to fall asleep because… she said it would be better if I was sleeping when they came home so I didn’t have to go into that room.”

Billy closes his eyes and hates his life for a second before he sighs deeply. “I mean… I could sing it to you, I guess.”

Steve stills. “You’d do that?”

“I offered, didn’t I?” Billy doesn’t mean to raise his voice, but he doesn’t like being vulnerable and this whole situation has brought it out in him. He feels Steve start shaking next to him. “Hey… okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get annoyed with you. I just… uh… look, I won’t tell anyone about this, but you can’t tell anyone, either, okay?”

“I won’t.”

Steve leans back more against the wall and pulls Steve with him. He closes his eyes and starts to sing. It’s a little rough at first, but then he quiets so it’s gentler, more soothing. He can feel Steve start to relax beside him. He sings it a few times before he feels Steve go completely limp against him. “Harrington?...Steve?” The soft evened out breaths alert him to the fact that the other boy is sleeping and he doesn’t really want to wake him up since he’s finally able to relax. He lets his eyes close and by the time he opens them again, only a few minutes later, the lights are on and the elevator is moving toward the first floor, clearly unable to make it the rest of the way to the top. He rubs Steve’s arm. “Pretty Boy? Come on, it’s time to wake up.”

Steve comes awake quickly and sits up. “We’re moving?”

Billy gets up and then holds out a hand to Steve. “Come on. You don’t want anyone to find you on the floor.”

Steve takes the offered hand and stands on wobbly legs. “Um…. Thank you…” 

The doors open and they both walk out, having already missed their intended meetings on the eighth floor. Billy looks over at the other boy. “Look… are you gonna be okay? You still look kind of messed up.”

“Gee thanks.” Steve smiles softly. “I have to pick the kids up in…” He looks at his watch. “About three hours from now.”

Billy nods. “Yeah, I’m guessing at the arcade because that’s when I’m supposed to pick Max up.”

“You, uh… you want to get some pizza? With me? I figure I owe you.”

Billy considers it. “Sure, why not…”

“Maybe you can sing for me again.” 

Billy narrows his eyes. “Harrington….”

Steve holds his hands up in surrender. “Kidding! Kidding… come on.” He heads out with Billy, never being happier for the simple act of holding a door open.


End file.
